The teenagers circling around the keg of beer looked stunned and downtrodden, as if they just learned they were being forced to spend an extra year in high school.

King County sheriff's Detective Mike Broderick stood in front of them, politely ordering two of their peers to dump out the beer. One teen pumped furiously as $130 worth of amber ale bled into a foamy puddle at a campsite above the Snoqualmie River.

It's Friday and the second week of June, and many of these teens just spent their last day at nearby Mount Si High School.

They were celebrating with beer and cigars in the outdoors near North Bend when officers with King County's annual "Party Patrol" got wind of them.

"I feel bad for it, but you know what, that's the way it goes. And any other booze you have around here, you need to get rid of," Broderick shouted as he and several officers cut off the celebration of about 50 people.

For the past decade, officers from the Sheriff's Office and several King County police departments, along with the Liquor Control Board, have teamed up each June to crack down on underage parties around prom and graduation time. The goal is to prevent drunken driving and alcohol-related deaths.

About two dozen minors were cited Friday for consuming or having possession of alcohol at the North Bend site. Police also seized an illegal sawed-off shotgun from one teen's oversized pickup. He wasn't arrested, but police plan to investigate who owns the weapon, Broderick said.

That adds to the more than 140 people who were cited last weekend for alcohol and drug violations, including two adults who face felony drug charges for Ecstasy taken from the home where they were hosting a party for underage drinkers.

On Friday, deputies were running a patrol out of the Maple Valley precinct, too, but citation numbers weren't yet available.

In addition, eight businesses were cited a week ago for selling alcohol to minors.

"We're putting out the message and hopefully changing some behavior," Broderick said.

About 20 officers from King County, Bothell, Redmond, Duvall and elsewhere joined the Eastside effort. The night started checking the usual places -- parks, campsites, beaches and teen hangouts. They checked tips from tattling teenagers, or parents who discovered their children were planning to attend a bash. Usually, later in the night, the noise complaints start pouring into 911.

'The cops are here'

Sheriff's Sgt. Pete Horvath starts his shift with a cruise through O.O. Denny Park on Lake Washington. The first party he finds is for a sixth-grader, and no one is drinking alcohol.

Only a few hours later, just before 11 p.m., the action starts. A tipster calls 911 about the "raging" kegger on Middle Fork Road. Shots were fired and several vehicles were there, the caller said.

Horvath, in an unmarked Chevy Tahoe, and the other officers worry as they drive up the rugged dirt road. A train of oncoming headlights passes by, meaning teens might be drunk and behind the wheel.

Horvath quickly checks out a vacant campsite along the road. It's a regular party spot, although last year police came away with an amusing story instead of arrests. They'd been called to a kegger, but the teens hosting it bought root beer instead of alcohol. They told police they knew the party patrols were out.

Not this time.

About 15 miles up the road, the officers see a fiery glow behind a wall of trees. They drive another 50 yards and find a line of vehicles parked haphazardly.

It's strategically located, so far out that Horvath loses his radio and cell phone signal.

"Well, we got one. A little further out than I expected, but we got one," Horvath said. "The moral to the story is if you're underage and you drink in King County, we will find you -- because we'll go 15 miles out."

As the officers flip on their flashlights, they see a 16year-old girl with a silver Coors can in her hand. She tries to hide it behind her back. She is one of two who are arrested and released to their parents because they're under 18. Word spreads faster than wildfire that the cops are there. About 20 partiers scamper into the woods. Later, faint lights flicker as hiding people try to use their cell phones as flashlights.

Broderick rounds everyone up and tells the crowd he's concerned about anyone who might be hiding in the woods. He directs everyone to collect the plastic keg cups and beer cans and toss them into the fire.

Everyone who appears intoxicated is asked to take a portable breath test and police quickly swarm around a group about to drive away. The driver is sober.

A learning experience

The teens had mixed reactions. Some saw it as part of the game. Others thought it was heavy-handed.

Aaron Fisher, 18, who wasn't drinking, said he understood the purpose and didn't fault the police. Fisher, who graduated from Mount Si, has enlisted in the Army and leaves in August.

"For overall morality, I understand what they're trying to do. I know that if you're under 21, you shouldn't be drinking. So, it's a choice that everyone makes," Fisher said. "The Party Patrol, it will discourage a lot of people, yeah," he said.

Another teen said he thought the police were wasting time. He pointed out that several in the crowd stayed sober and that they held the party in the woods to avoid disturbing anyone.

"Honestly, yes. I think we're being responsible about it. We have a designated driver and we're just kids out having fun," he said, declining to give his name.

Shelby Martin, 17, who will be a senior, said she didn't like seeing her friends get in trouble. She also stayed sober and was allowed to drive home.

"The people who got away are lucky," she said.

Friday's crowd was much more compliant than the groups who were busted during the previous weekend's patrol, police said.

At one party June 7 on Ames Lake-Carnation Road, a plainclothes detective bought marijuana from some teens smoking pot outside. He introduced himself as a detective and had his badge slung around his neck, sheriff's Sgt. Dave Hoag said.

At another get-together hosted by an Eastlake High School senior in Sammamish, a mother, who was called to pick up her intoxicated child, tried instead to convince the minor hosting the party to kick out the police.

Hoag said the woman's conduct was frustrating, especially since police had to call medics for a drinker who blacked out and was suffering from possible alcohol poisoning.

"It's interesting to hear. Some parents are very supportive. They don't want a tragedy and want their kids to learn a lesson," Hoag said.

"And some parents are angry and they'll tell you, 'He's a good kid and he gets good grades and he's 18 and he's old enough to get killed in Iraq.' "

Police can't remember an alcohol-related crash in June involving a teenager since the party patrols began.

"When you've been to enough accidents with dead young kids, it gets you a little more motivated," Hoag said.

A minor-in-possession violation could result in a $1,000 fine and revocation of driving privileges until 18.

Most first-time offenders would get probation. If they stay out of trouble for a year, teens' records will be cleared, police said.

"For most of them, this will just be a learning experience," said Broderick, the detective.

More teens this year seem to be sober and acting as the designated drivers, he said. But he doesn't want them to think that it's OK to get drunk as long as they're not driving, he said.

"Maybe they're not receiving the message we want to get to them," he said.